Brisbane Agenda
Tuesday 17th November 2026
Venue to be announced shortly
08:00 – 09:00
Registration, Networking, Meeting and Connections
09:00 – 09:30
Welcome and Setting the Scene
Chris Cummings
Founder, Sonas Group, (Wellbeing at Work)
09:30 – 10:00
Work Wellbeing That Drives Innovation, Collaboration and Great Workplaces
How can work environments be improved via job redesign, supportive leadership practices, and enhanced equity to improve employee health, work commitment, and productivity? The role of leaders in providing high-performing team with new options to turn the field of play into nothing short of a world of amazing possibilities. Why collaboration is key to executing a winning culture, How a wellbeing culture can enable long-term stability, success and sustainability?
Paula Brough
Director, Centre for Work Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University
10:00 – 10:45
Leadership Panel – Driving Performance in a Changing World: From Wellbeing to Workforce Advantage
What leadership behaviours and cultural signals sustain wellbeing and performance in hybrid, AI-enabled workplaces? How can wellbeing be embedded as a seamless, data-informed experience across the entire employee lifecycle? How can organisations help their people not just stay well, but grow and adapt? How do we move from supporting wellbeing to helping people build skills and resilience? How can wellbeing be leveraged as a strategic driver of resilience, retention, and innovation in times of rapid change?
Katherine Brennan
Chief People & Culture Officer, Queensland Country Bank
Mark Philippi
General Manager – People, Culture & Safety, iOR
Tijana Lalovic
Chief People Officer, Suncare Community Services
Hayley Gould
Chief People Officer, Diabetes Australia
10:45 - 11:15
Morning Networking Break
11:15 - 11:50
AI as the Driver of the Future of HR, Wellness and Performance
How will AI impact holistic well-being strategies to drive productivity, lower healthcare costs, and increased profitability? How will AI & personalization elevate engagement through data-driven wellness solutions? What impact will AI-powered coaching and health analytics have on customized well-being plans that improve employee retention and performance? How can organizations prioritize emotional intelligence, trust, and mental health support experience in order to achieve stronger engagement, lower turnover, and higher innovation?
Speaker to be announced shortly
11:50 – 12:00
Audience Energiser
12:00 – 13:00
Leadership Workshop Discussions
Attendees will take their pick from our expert led sessions which will be announced shortly
13:00 – 14:00
Networking Lunch
14:00 - 14:15
Audience Energiser
14:15 - 15:00
Panel: Designing Wellbeing with Inclusion in Mind
How do you deliver wellbeing that truly works across hybrid, multi-generational and neurodiverse workforces? What does inclusivity mean for women’s wellbeing in the workplace? What means are available to better accommodate those with disabilities at organizations today? What can employers do to ensure true inclusion combines belongingness and the valuing of individual uniqueness? What should be done about culture from the perspective of inter-generational workers? How can organizations create non-discriminatory work processes and policies? How do communities in organizations help create a culture of inclusion and thriving together?
Annelies Maxwell
Chief People Officer, Global Engineering
Claire Bateman
GM, People & Culture, Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod
Ali McNiven
Executive Manager, People, Culture & Communications, Healthy Land & Water
Sabina Schlegel
Director of Organisational Change and Culture, Queensland Department of Health
15:00 - 15:30
Networking Break
15:30 - 16:00
The Role of Learning in Boosting Wellbeing in an Ever-Changing Environment
How do organizations provide employees with the skills needed to meet the ever-changing needs of their companies? Developing a culture of learning and development to enable employees to manage rapidly changing working conditions, Ensuring learning and development provides resilience to employees, What can organizations do now to ensure remote workers have the same access to learning opportunities?
Nadia Golenkova
Head of Learning & Capability, NTI
16:00 – 16:30
CEO Fireside Chat
Speaker to be announced shortly
16:30 – 16:40
Closing Remarks
Chris Cummings
Founder, Sonas Group, Wellbeing at Work
16:40 – 18:00
